As the horn went off, Carrie and the rest of the crowd gave the Nashville Predators a standing ovation. It was the end of the season. Sure the fans would've loved the Predators to be in the playoff but they still smiled and appreciated the effort of their home team.
The petite blonde sighed as she saw her husband of almost four years. There he stood on the ice, removing his helmet and gloves, with his head hanging low. The rest of his team were already off the ice rink and Bridgestone Arena was almost half empty.
A smile appeared on Carrie's face as she watched her husband skate around and wave at the fans who stayed. The way he interacted with the fans filled her heart with joy.
"Care." Ivey placed her hand on Carrie's shoulder. "Are you going to wait for Mike to finish or do you want us to drop you off."
Carrie stood up and threw her bag over her shoulder. "Thanks, but I think I'm going to stay and wait for him."
"Are you sure?" Ivey questioned with her arms crossed. "He's still on the ice and I have a feeling he's going to stay there for a while." The brunette chuckled and glanced at the now empty arena.
Carrie nodded her head, her eyes never leaving the sight of her husband. "I'm sure, I don't mind waiting for him." She smiled at Ivey.
The two friends gave each others hugs as they said their goodbyes. But down on the rink, Mike continued to skate around. He didn't even realize that the arena was empty. Too many emotions had him distracted. He soon came to a halt when he noticed his wife was still in the suite.
"Come down here." Mike yelled as his voice echoed through the arena. He chuckled when he noticed Carrie shook her head. "I ain't leaving till you come down here!"
Carrie threw her hands up in the air and left her suite. She asked a staff member to lead her down the rink or else she would get lost. After thanking the young man, she walked down into the Predators bench.
"There you are." Mike smiled as he skated towards his wife.
Carrie smiled as she leaned over the boards to give her stinky husband a quick peck. "You alright?" She whispered as her hand caressed his cheek.
"Yeah." He nodded and stared deeply into her hazel eyes. "It's just.." Not knowing what else to say, Mike just shrugged his shoulders.
"It's okay. We'll talk about it when we get home." She whispered. "But first you need to get your stinking butt out of here and hit the showers."
Mike threw his head back in laughter. "Yes ma'am."
It was almost one in the morning when the couple arrived at their Brentwood home. They were greeted by their two dogs as they walked inside.
Mike had his arm around her shoulder as they made their way into the bedroom. She chuckled as Mike threw himself face first on the bed. "Is my baby tired." Carrie cooed as she took off her jacket.
"Mhm." He lifted his head and noticed Carrie having trouble removing her jersey. Mike quickly got up from the bed and chuckled at his wife.
"Don't just laugh, help me." Carrie giggled as the jersey covered her face.
His hands slid up the sides of her bare skin. Grabbing the helm of the jersey that got caught above her head and gently removed it off her shoulders.
"Thanks." Carrie blushed at the little incident. She quickly fixed her hair and glanced at her husband's eyes. They were warm yet somewhat cold. "Mike."
"Sorry." He quickly replied. Thinking he got caught for staring at her breast. His eyebrows furrowed as Carrie softly giggled. "What."
Her hands rubbed his abdomen. "You're cute." She nervously bit her lip as his firm hands were placed on her waist. "You and the team did your best this season. I know how disappointed you are about not going into the playoffs again." She paused and leaned her head against his hard chest. "Next Season will be your time."
Her words caused him to smile. Mike placed a kiss on her head and rubbed her bare back. "At least I'll get more time to spend with my favorite girl this year."
The couple soon let go of each other's grip. "We don't want a repeat of last year." Carrie quietly said as she took off her jeans and threw on one of Mike's t-shirts.
2013 was probably their toughest year yet. They both had crazy, hectic schedules causing them to spend so much time apart throughout the whole year. Mike was busy with hockey all year long. While Carrie was finishing up her tour in the first half of the year and was busy doing The Sound of Music later that year. They only spent a solid month and a half together during the summer, but that wasn't enough. All that time apart did cause a lot of stress in their marriage but they worked at it and got through it.
Mike threw his shirt on the ground and put on a pair of sweat pants. "Last year was tough as hell but we got through it, together." He gently squeezed her hand. "You and me, we're a team. I ain't gonna let anything tear us apart."
Carrie smiled and stared deeply into his blue eyes, they were full of determination. "Nothing is breaking us." She promised as her arms wrapped around his neck. "I love you so much." Mike smiled and kissed her.
